


What's Up With Mort?

by m0rt1s



Category: Bob's Burgers (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, Emotional Trauma, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Maybe - Freeform, Physical Trauma, Recovery, Self-Harm, Self-Indulgent, Some Humor, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Whump, author self-projection, mort whump, mort-centric, will tag as needed, worried neighbors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:41:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m0rt1s/pseuds/m0rt1s
Summary: The Belchers (and Teddy, but he's an honorary Belcher) begin to notice that Mort's visiting the restaurant less and less. Maybe he just needs a little bit of Christmas cheer!
Relationships: Bob Belcher/Linda Belcher
Comments: 12
Kudos: 24





	1. The Eve Before Christmas Eve

**Author's Note:**

> Noticed there was a distinct lack of Mort content here in the fandom, so I decided to take it upon myself to write the content I wanna see.

No one really noticed Mort’s absence those first few weeks. Unlike Teddy, he wasn’t in there chowing down on burgers every day, or even every other day. The Belchers were lucky to see him even once a week most of the time, sometimes more when he wasn’t so busy. Around the winter holidays was when they usually saw less of him; it was the ‘busy season for the home,’ he had said once, and Bob had been unwilling to ask him to expand on that.

A week went by, and no one noticed. Then, another week. The third week, Teddy brought it up when the mortician finally walked through the doors.

“Hey, Mort! Where’ve you been?”

Mort looked… tired, to say the least, like he hadn’t slept properly in weeks. His suit looked like he had ironed it halfway before giving up. He half-heartedly smiled at Teddy before plopping himself down at the counter. Bob glanced up from the grill when he heard Teddy speak.

“Oh, h-hey, Mort. You look… great.”

“No he doesn’t, Bobby,” Teddy blurted out, no filter as usual. “You look like hell, Mort. You okay? Do you have a fever?” Mort gently swatted Teddy’s hand away, chuckling.

“No, no. Just a little under the weather. Haven’t been sleeping well.”

The kids had been restocking the napkin dispensers at one of the booths, but seemed to have found Mort’s appearance much more interesting.

“Is that why you have bags under your eyes?”

“Bags? Those are suitcases, woman!”

“Tina, Gene, please,” Bob sighed, trying to focus on the grill. “Just the usual, Mort?”

“Yup, one burger of the day, please.”

Louise had crept her way over to the mortician, a napkin in hand. She scribbled something hastily on it before handing it to the perplexed man. She kept her voice low to keep from being chastised by her father. “Try this. Repeat this spell three times a night before bed for a week, and it should ward away any bad omens keeping you from sleeping.”

Mort took it nervously, stuffing it into a coat pocket. “Uh, thanks. I’ll keep it in mind.”

That was all anyone saw of him for quite some time. An entire month went by, and the only time anyone had heard from him was when he called in an order to be delivered once. Bob was about to send Gene over to the crematorium when Linda stopped him.

“Bob, why don’t you bring it over?”

“I’m manning the grill right now, Lin.”

Teddy was quick to pipe up, backing Linda. “No, no, she’s right, Bobby. It’ll give you an excuse to check in on him.”

Bob scoffed but was already taking off his apron. “Why do I need to check on him? He’s a grown man.”

“Because he’s your friend, Bob,” Linda thrust the bag into his arms and was nudging him towards the door. “I’ll take over the grill for a sec. Just go make sure he’s not dead or something.”

“He’s not my--” Bob began but quickly stopped himself. They were… kind of friends. Like how he and Teddy were friends. “And he’s not dead. He said he’s sick.”

Nobody was listening to him though as Teddy turned to Linda with a worried expression. “You really think he’s dead, Lin?”

She didn’t have a chance to respond as the kids piped up. “If he dies, can I get his hearse?”

“I call his apartment!”

“That’s not how wills work, guys.”

“Yes it is!”

“Oh, my god,” Bob muttered before shrugging on his coat and walking out the door, relieved to be away from the madness that was his family for a moment. God, it was chilly out. He knocked on the funeral home’s door. No response. Another knock, and again, no response. He tried the door, but it was locked; made sense since it was a Saturday. He was about to turn and leave when he heard shuffling behind the door.

A few clicks, and the door swung ajar. Mort seemed just as surprised by Bob’s appearance as Bob was by his. The mortician was in pajama pants and a loose cotton shirt, hair and glasses askew. His eyes looked puffy, Bob noted. He had a cup of cocoa in hand.

“Oh, good, you’re not--” Dead, Bob wanted to finish, but suddenly thought better of it. Mort raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching up into a tired grin.

“Not what?”

“Oh, uh, nothing.” They stood in silence for a moment before Bob remembered what he had come over there for. “Right, here’s your order. A cup of soup. Good for this, uh, cold weather.”

“Thanks, Bob.” There was silence again, each of them too awkward to come up with small talk. Bob was never good at expressing his feelings with his friends, and Mort just didn’t seem up to talking much.

“So, uh,” the chef tried, “still not feeling well?”

Mort busied himself on his cocoa for a moment. “Something like that.”

Bob didn’t know what that meant, but he suddenly felt worried. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Forget I said it.”

“Well, we’re worried about you,” Bob fumbled, a look of surprise dawning on Mort’s face. “I-I mean, mostly Teddy. And Lin. We, um, haven’t seen you in a while.”

Mort smiled again. “Tell them I said hi, okay?”

“I mean, you could tell them. We’re always right next door.”

“Another time, perhaps.”

God, that sounded so cryptic. Bob nodded and turned to leave but stopped just before Mort closed the door.

“If you ever need anything or just want to talk, you have my number,” he blurted out before he could stop himself. God, it was embarrassing to admit he cared about other people. Even Mort seemed surprised by this. Something shifted in his eyes like he had something he really wanted to say.

“Bob?”

“Yeah?”

“...tell them I’m fine and not to worry anymore, okay?”

Bob couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed having hoped that he had really gotten through to his friend. It was clear that something was bothering the mortician. But he just nodded, and they said their goodbyes and parted ways.

The doorbell rang as he made his way back into the restaurant. Five pairs of inquisitive eyes greeted him.

“Well,” Lin started, “how is he?”

“I mean… he’s pale. Ish. But he’s always kind of pale.”

“That’s true,” Teddy said through a mouthful of meat. “Did he say anything?”

“He said hi, he’s fine and not to worry about him,” Bob rattled off, focusing his attention on hanging his coat up and putting his apron back on so he wouldn’t have to look at his friend’s disappointed expression.

“That’s typical Mort. Doesn’t want people fussing over him,” Teddy sighed, and Bob awkwardly patted him on the shoulder.

“Like I said, he’s an adult. I’m sure he doesn’t want to be treated like a child.”

“If I was a grown-up, I’d want to be treated like a child,” Gene interjected from one of the booths. “No responsibilities!”

Lin was hardly listening, though, and Bob could see through her eyes that her mind was racing a mile a minute. “We should do something nice for him this year. Bring a little extra cheer into his little sick heart.”

Bob didn’t have the heart to tell his wife that he was beginning to suspect Mort wasn’t sick; at least, not physically. He just nodded and rested a palm on her back. “I’m… sure he’d like that. Just don’t go over the top, okay?”

Exactly three weeks later, and it was the night before the night before Christmas. Mort hadn’t stepped foot into the restaurant or made any more to-go orders. The only way the family knew he hadn’t kicked the bucket was from the steady stream of mourners coming and going from the funeral home. He hadn’t been kidding; the winter months really were a busy time of the year.

The Belcher family were all seated in their living room. They had just had a nice dinner and were relaxing by the fire. Well, it wasn’t really a fire, since they didn’t have a fireplace. They just turned the heater up and turned on a Christmas fireplace channel on TV. Soft Christmas carols filled the room. Bob sat on the couch with a glass of wine in hand, and the kids were crowded around the coffee table writing their usual coupon books. Lin was the only one not relaxing, having gotten up from the couch a few minutes ago to pace around the living room. She had even left her wine untouched, something seriously not like her.

“Lin, come on, what’s stressing you out?”

“Yeah, mom, if you keep pacing like that, we might have to write you a coupon for a new carpet,” Gene quipped without looking up.

“Maybe we could get a different color? Like red? Or… darker beige,” Tina added, which made Louise groan.

“Why is everything in our house beige?!”

“Louise, volume,” Bob sighed before returning his attention back on his wife. “Babe, please. What’s up? Are you still mad that I got white instead of red? This one was on sale, Lin. And it was a really good deal.”

“Oh, don’t get mom started on that again,” Louise laughed, but she looked up when Linda didn’t respond. She was still pacing, lost in thought.

“No, no, it’s not that,” she finally waved her hand dismissively. “I’m just worried about Mort.”

“We talked about it, Lin,” Bob stood and led his wife over to the couch. She sat down next to him without much of a fight. “We’re bringing him a holiday care package Christmas morning, remember?”

“Yeah, but…” She looked into his eyes, and he could sense that she was genuinely concerned. “I have a feeling, Bob. I think he could use a little Christmas spirit tonight.”

“Awh, the old eve before Christmas eve spirit. I feel that, mom,” Gene offered, and she nodded enthusiastically.

“Exactly! I’ll bake him some cookies right now, and we’ll bring them over!”

“Now?” Bob glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s nearly nine.”

“Nine o’clock?” Louise scoffed. “What are you, an old man?”

“Yeah. And so is Mort. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already in bed.”

“That man has more consoles than I’ve ever seen in my life!” Gene shouted. “How could he possibly have time to sleep?”

“So it’s settled!” Linda hopped up from the couch and started heading towards the kitchen. “I’ll go make some cookies!”

It was almost ten o’clock at night when Bob found himself standing outside in the snow, a tin full of steaming cookies in hand and his coat zipped up to his neck. It was freezing out, like he expected, and he wanted nothing more than to go right back inside. Originally, everyone had wanted to go, but Bob had quickly talked them out of it. Mort would already be annoyed if Bob showed up knocking on the door this late at night, let alone the whole family.

He hurried over to the funeral home, hunching over to shoulder the cold. Fresh snow was raining down, and since it was so late, the road and sidewalks had yet to be plowed. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to get to where he was going.

He knocked on the door and was unsurprised when Mort didn’t answer. Oh, well. He would go home and tell Lin that he’d been asleep and they could try again tomorrow morning. Or just wait until Christmas day, like they had agreed upon. But without thinking, Bob tried the knob and was shocked to find that it was unlocked. He would’ve closed it and walked away, but now, he was beginning to worry.

“Uh, Mort?” He called out as he made his way inside. He stomped his feet on the welcome mat, trying to shake off as much snow as he could. “I’m coming in, okay? I think you forgot to lock the door.”

He considered looking down in the basement first but the idea of accidentally seeing blood or a dead body made him feel woozy. Instead, he passed through the main corridor and headed straight up the stairs that led to Mort’s apartment. He thought he heard someone moving above him, so he must’ve been on the right path.

“Mort?” Bob called out again, but he didn’t hear anything then. When he came up to the top of the stairs, he didn’t even have to bother with knocking; the door was slightly ajar. He hadn’t noticed before, but there were small puddles of water leading into the apartment. Mort must’ve just returned home from somewhere.

“I’m coming in, okay?” He closed the apartment door behind him, noting the empty living room and a pair of boots laying haphazardly in the middle in the entryway. Bob nearly tripped over them, stumbling for a moment before catching himself. He was about to call out again when he heard a loud thud from somewhere in the apartment.

Bob didn’t bother hesitating anymore. He rushed down the hall from where the sound had come from. He found himself in front of what he assumed was Mort’s bedroom. He took a deep breath before trying the knob. Sure enough, it was unlocked.

“Mort?” he tried one more time as the door swung slightly open. He peeked in. The cookie tin slipped from his hands.

“Oh my god!”


	2. Chapter 2

The ride felt like it took forever. It was funny, Bob thought, because everything leading up to that moment had flashed by so quickly, he couldn’t quite process it still. It was like he had closed his eyes, and when he came to, it had all felt vague and fuzzy, like a dream.

It wasn’t a dream, though, and he hated ambulances. But, “I want to come,” he said.

They hadn’t been keen on it, but he insisted. He was told to ride up front, so he did. He was told to buckle, so he did. The paramedics had a lot of rules, it seemed, and he followed them. He couldn’t argue, not with his head empty and his tongue desert-dry. They asked him a lot of questions. He didn’t have all the answers. He tried to respond when he could, but the words got all muddled. Tangled. They stopped asking him questions.

The ride was long. His ears rang, and he absently rubbed at the tips that had turned red from the cold. It was snowing hard, and every sharp turn could’ve sent them flying. He didn’t feel nervous, though. He felt calm, or… fuzzy. Fuzzy in a weird way. He could still hear them, in the back, their voices sharp as ice. They had to be fast. He could’ve looked at him, if he had wanted to. But he had already gotten a good look earlier, and the image was burned into his retinas. The glass against his cheek was cold. The town looked so pretty at night.

The hospital was bustling. People were already waiting on them when they arrived. Doctors and nurses were barking orders to each other, running around in a beautifully synchronous pattern. Caught in the whirlwind, Bob followed them like a lost puppy. _I hate doctors,_ he thought, but he couldn’t be able to bring himself to hate _these_ doctors. Not when they were trying to keep his friend alive.

He lost sight of the gurney when a set of doors swung shut just in front of him. He blinked himself out of the daze. He was in a ward of the hospital he had never seen before, and he had never felt so lost. He tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Sir, you can’t go in there!”

Minutes later he found himself in a waiting area with a little paper cup of water in hand. He didn’t know what else to do, so he sat. He sipped his drink, but he was suddenly feeling nauseous. Part of him wanted to fight the nurses keeping him back, to go and be with his friend. The other part of him was relieved to be alone for a moment. He hated that part.

He hadn’t noticed the nurse right away. She was standing in front of him while he stared blankly down into his cup. He looked up when she tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“Is there any family you need to call?”

Right. He hadn’t thought about that. With his mother’s passing a year prior, Mort didn’t have any family left, so Bob didn’t really know who to call. Friends, he guessed. Lin. With some direction from the nurse, he found his way outside where he could make a phone call discreetly without disturbing anyone else in the ER. He didn’t notice when she left, too focused on watching the falling snow to pay attention. It was easy to lose himself in the cold. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. God, he was tired.

His phone buzzing startled him. He fished it out of his coat pocket, immediately noticing multiple texts from Lin.

10:38 PM _hey, burgerman, you comin home soon??_

10:49 PM _sorry i called you burgerman_

10:53 PM _but really, when are you comin home?_

11:04 PM _dont make me call in the search party, mister_

11:11 PM _i swear to god if you froze to death and left me here with these freakin kids_

Bob couldn’t help but chuckle at the last text, the sound feeling foreign when it caught in his throat. He almost felt… normal, for a second. He checked the time: 11:13. He needed to reply. He started to type, but his fingers had already gone cold from the chilly air. He needed to remember to buy gloves eventually.

He would call, then. It had hardly rung once when she picked up.

“Bobby, I was getting worried! Where are you?”

Bob realized calling was a bad idea when he found he couldn’t speak. He stumbled for a moment, trying to find the words to say.

“L-Lin, I--”

“Where are you, Bob? I’ve got my shoes on, so if you need me to come get you, I will.”

“Okay, don’t freak out, but I’m in the ER at the--”

“What?!”

Her breathing was heavy, and it was his turn to reassure her. “Lin, listen, I’m okay. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be calling you.”

“...I guess that’s true,” she finally murmured so softly he almost couldn’t hear her. “But then, why are you…?”

There was a long moment of silence, the air heavy. Bob didn’t want to say it. He didn’t want to tell her what he saw. That would make it too real again. Thankfully, he didn’t have to say anything; Linda came to the realization.

“Bob, is Mort okay?”

The tears made his vision fuzzy, like the way he felt inside. There was ice in his head, in his eyes, in his lungs, but he didn’t feel cold. He trembled from the weight of the sob that had been building up in his chest all night, like a volcano quivering before an eruption. He could already feel snot dripping down his nose, but he didn’t feel gross. Just helpless. Once again, he didn’t have to say anything; the sound of his sniffles was enough.

“I’m heading over there. You just sit tight, okay?”

Bob nodded even though he knew Lin couldn’t see it. They exchanged their usual I-love-you’s that seemed to carry more weight tonight than any night previous. He closed the flip-phone, sunk to the ground, and let himself sob for the first time in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a quick chapter that i wrote in between classes. maybe the next one will be longer!


	3. The Waiting Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: graphic depiction of suicide in this one. told in a dreamlike state, but still  
> thought about splitting this into two chapters, but it fits better as one extra-long one. enjoy!

Linda didn’t want to hang up, but she knew there was no way she was gonna be able to talk and drive at the same time; not with the way the snow was coming down outside. She was running on auto-pilot, grabbing her purse and tugging on her hat, coat, and gloves in a frenzy. She just wanted to get there as fast as she could. She was halfway down the stairs when she realized what she had forgotten. She clambered back upstairs and made her way as quietly as she could into Tina’s room.

“Mom? Is everything okay?”

The poor girl looked so tired, and Linda immediately felt bad for waking her. She ran a hand through her daughter’s hair, encouraging her to continue to lay down. It took a lot of willpower to keep her hand from trembling.

“Tina, baby, everything’s fine,” Lin soothed. “I know it’s late, but I need a big favor.”

“Um, okay. Like, right now? In the middle of the night?”

She nodded and took a seat on the edge of Tina’s bed. “Something happened, and I just need to go out for a bit. I need you to be in charge, okay?”

Despite Linda’s protests, Tina sat up swiftly and reached for her glasses. “Is dad not home yet?”

“I’m afraid not,” she had to continue quickly so her daughter couldn’t butt in, “but I’m going to go… meet him somewhere.”

“That sounds… vague. And only kind of worrisome.”

“I don’t know all the details, but I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”

There was a moment of silence before Tina spoke into the darkness. “So we’ll be home alone? And I’m in charge?”

“Just for a couple of hours. We’ll be back before you all wake up, I promise.”

With that, Tina was reassured to lay back down. Linda put the emergency phone on her daughter’s bed stand in case anything happened and triple-checked that all the windows were locked. She thought to give all of her kids a goodnight smooch but figured it was probably best not to risk waking them. It was only when she finally got in the freshly-shoveled car that her nerves got the best of her. She gripped the wheel hard as she began to make her way down the snow-covered streets.

“Oh, Bobby, I hope everything’s okay…”

_  
_

_Everything was so quiet around him, it was as if all background noise in the world had disappeared, snapped out of existence. He could hear his footsteps pounding through the hall, growing louder where carpet met hardwood. No matter how fast he ran, he felt like he was going in slow motion. His limbs felt heavy, and his head, light. He felt like he was going to trip, his center of gravity was all off. His heavy breathing filled the air. Had he been panting the whole time? How long had he been running? The hallway felt impossibly long. Every time he thought he’d reached the end, it grew farther from him. He couldn’t see; just vague shapes and colors that whizzed by, reminiscent of a home. Whose home was he in?_

__

__

_He couldn’t focus on the hallway, so he stared at his own breath crystalizing before him. Why was it so cold? He could hardly feel his hands, tips of his fingers fuzzy and numb. His hand was curled around something cold; metal. One moment, it was a tin, the next, a doorknob. Had he finally reached the end of the hall?_

_He had to push hard to get the door to budge. It was growing colder around him, and the knob had begun to sprout ice. It stabbed him, leaving him shivering, struggling. The door was shut fast like it had been frozen over. He couldn’t remember why, but he had to get inside. He had to get inside. He had to_

_The door cracked open. There was no sound._

_He saw the feet first. Bare, dangling a feet above the ground, toes curled as if in pleasure or in pain. The latter, he thought. They swayed from the wind that wasn’t there, the force of struggle from moments before. It had to have been moments. All that time wasted in the never-ending hallway haunted the back of his skull. He felt it might crystalize and shatter the base of his neck._

_Feet connected with legs hidden under thick sweats. Comfy, he thought. Warm. Hands curled at the knees, blood dripping from nails to a puddle down below. He watched the descent without feeling sick; his brain was ice. Numb. Arms, torso, covered in a sweater, white mixed with drops of red. Christmas colors. It was almost Christmas. The neck, the face, he shouldn’t have looked at. Brown of rope and blue of lips and he wanted to scream, but there was no sound--_

Bob didn’t know he was asleep until he woke up. That was how it went sometimes. He was shivering, but he wasn’t all that cold. It took him a moment to regain all of his senses. Where was he again?

When he opened his eyes, he was blinded by sterile white beams from above. Oh, right. The hospital.

More specifically, he was back in the waiting area of the ER. The first thing he truly noticed was the thick, heated blanket wrapped around his shoulders, pulsating warmth all throughout his aching old-man body. The second thing he noticed was the arms wrapped around him. He didn’t even need to see to know who it was.

“Lin?”

She pulled back, her smile a little less than sincere. “You fell asleep outside, you big goof.”

“I did?”

“Yeah you did. Let me know if you need another blanket.”

That sounded like something he would do. He sniffled and tugged the blanket tighter around him. The last thing he remembered was calling Lin and then crying like a big, dumb baby. But why had he--?

Oh. Right. It wasn’t just a dream.

Lin was talking again, and he tried to focus on the words she was saying so he wouldn’t slip back into the ice in his skull. “--So I left Tina in charge. Just for a few hours, so I could come check on you.”

“I’m fine.” It was an automatic response, but it was very much far from the truth, Thankfully, his wife could see right through it.

“You’re obviously not fine, mister. Whatever happened must’ve been awful for you, too.” Her voice grew softer, gentler, if that was even possible. “I can tell you’re stuck thinking about it. I can see it in your eyes. Do you… wanna tell me what happened?”

Bob leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. The last thing he wanted to do was relive that moment, fresh as it was on his mind. It had only happened a few hours ago, after all. But he couldn’t just leave Lin in the dark. He bit his bottom lip hard before trying to form coherent thoughts.

“I… found him. In his room.” His voice was quiet and far away. He felt like he was back in that hallway again. Tears were clouding his vision again. “H-he tried to… kill himself, Lin. O-or or, maybe he did. Kill himself, I mean. The doctors, they-they haven’t told me anything yet.”

He trembled when he felt her hand on his back, but he instinctively moved to rest his head against her chest. It was comforting, listening to her heartbeat. Despite being in a somewhat crowded waiting area, he felt like it was just the two of them there, holding onto each other like their lives depended on it. She stroked his hair absently, and though her hands didn’t so much as twitch, he could hear her sniffles. They were both quiet for a long, long time before Linda broke the ice.

“He’s going to be okay, Bobby. I’ve got a feeling.”

She had been right one time that night. Who’s to say she couldn’t be right again?

They weren’t really aware of time passing from that point on. Bob rested his head against Linda’s shoulder, squeezing her hand gently in his. She was so warm, and it was that warmth that grounded him. He kept repeating what she said in his head like a mantra; maybe if he said it enough times, it would become true. He didn’t know much about hospitals or about… suicide, really, so he didn’t know how severe it was.

It didn’t help his anxiety that no one was telling them anything. Doctors were coming and going through the doors to the operating rooms, but none were for them. Agitation was bubbling up inside him, and he welcomed it; the heat of anger felt more soothing than the icy cold of emotional numbness. They mostly sat in silence, but as Bob grew more and more tired, his grumbling became more frequent.

Linda didn’t mind dealing with a grumpy Bobby, though. She had her free arm wrapped around him so that she could rub at his back and neck. He wasn’t much of a touchy-feely person in public, but physically soothing him kept her from losing it. She tried to make jokes to pass the time, her words choking around the guilt that had burrowed itself in her chest. She had had a feeling Mort was going through something, but she had done too little too late. And yet, she was still glad. What if they had waited those two more days?

She didn’t share these thoughts with Bob though, fearing that it might bring his depression back on. He had laid himself down across a couple of chairs, curled up with his head resting in her lap. He looked so peaceful sleeping, she thought as she played with his hair. He almost looked okay again. The next thing Lin knew, she was being rudely awakened.

“Wha-what, what happened?” She snapped up, waking Bob up in the process. He almost rolled over onto the floor out of surprise. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, neither of them did. It had just gotten a little boring waiting for news. Well, no, boring wasn’t the right word at all; it was more like their bodies could only handle so much anticipation before shutting down.

“Sorry to disturb you.” There was a doctor standing in front of them, clipboard in hand. “But are you here for Mortimer James?”

“Yes, we are.” They were both wide awake now, sitting rigid in their plastic seats. They had each other’s hands in a vice grip.

The doctor glanced at the chart before regarding them both curiously. “Are you two… family?”

“Um, no-not exactly,” Bob stumbled, “he doesn’t have… I mean, I-I’m his emergency contact.”

A curt nod. “Bob Belcher then?”

“Y-yes. And my wife, Linda.” He couldn’t keep it in anymore. He needed to know. “So, is he…?”

“I’m afraid he’s--” Bob and Linda’s breaths hitched at the same time “--still in surgery right now. There’s not much information I can give currently other than they’re working hard to keep him stable.”

Linda’s shoulders relaxed a little, but Bob was still tense. “That’s all you can tell us? You still don’t even know if he’ll make it?”

Lin had to grip his shoulders to keep him from standing up and getting in the doctor’s face. “Bobby, please,” she said while throwing the doctor a sympathetic glance.

The doctor seemed to not have been bothered by Bob’s reaction at all. “Please understand, he’s been through a lot of physical trauma. I won’t go into the details now,” she explained after quickly assessing Bob’s current mental state, “but it’s going to be a while before I can say anything for sure.”

Any fight that Bob had had him seemed to vanish in an instant. Her words made sense, even if they made him feel bad. He rested his head against Lin’s shoulder again. “I… understand.”

“I promise, the moment something changes, someone will let you know. For now, it might be best to go home and get some proper rest.”

It was Lin’s turn to snap. “Like hell we will! We’ll wait here as long as it takes.”

“But, it might be hours before he’s out of surgery--”

“I don’t care. We’re not going anywhere.”

The doctor merely nodded, not planning to argue with either of them. It was clear they were just anxious about their friend. “Okay, that’s fine. But it’ll be better if you move over to the surgery waiting area. Would you like me to show you how to get there?”

_  
_

After a brisk walk clear across the hospital, the Belcher couple found themselves sitting in yet another waiting room. At least this one was less crowded, and the chairs were really comfy. Like, _really_ comfy.

“We need something like this for our living room,” Bob remarked with the hint of a grin. Lin couldn’t help but smile back, glad that her Bobby was feeling a bit better. It was hard to stay anxious for so long, but at least now they knew that their friend was still alive, even if it was touch and go.

It was 7:02 when Linda’s phone rang.

“Crap! I forgot to call the kids!”

She answered the call and was immediately blasted by questions.

_“Mom, where are you? Are you and Dad okay? You said you’d be back this morning.”_

“Tina, sweetie, I’m alright. And your dad’s here with me. It’s just taking a little longer than expected, that’s all.”

_“But where are you guys?”_

Linda started to open her mouth to respond but found that she didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t exactly tell her the truth; at least, not the full one. She looked at Bob for help, and he just helplessly shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea how to approach the subject either.

“We’re… at the hospital--”

_“What?!”_

“No, no, it’s okay,” Linda reassured over her daughter’s nervous panting. “We’re both okay. Your father had to bring Mort to the hospital last night.”

Tina’s breathing returned mostly to normal, but she still sounded anxious. _“Is he okay? What happened?”_

“He’ll, he’ll be okay, sweetie. I’ll tell you about it later.”

Before Tina could respond, there was a loud crashing noise and excited shouting coming through the speaker. _“Is that Mom? I wanna talk to her!”_

Linda couldn’t help but smile, a real, genuine smile. “Hi, Gene. Miss you, baby.”

_“Mom! You need to come home right now! This weather is perfect for making snow angels!”_

“Ooh, snow angels, fun! Why don’t you kids have breakfast and go play outside? Just for a little bit, under Tina’s supervision. I’ll make snow angels with you when I get home.”

_“Okay, it’s a date! I’m gonna go put pants on, so here’s Tina.”_

_“...Hi, Mom, it’s me. Tina.”_

“Is your sister up yet?”

_“Not yet. But I think Gene went to go wake her. We wanna have a snowman building contest today.”_

“That sounds like fun! Just stay warm, and stay in the alley when you go outside. Your father and I will be home later, okay?”

_“Okay. Can I say hi to Dad? So I know he’s not dead?”_

Linda handed the phone over to Bob.

“Hi, Tina.”

_“Oh, phew, so you’re not dead.”_

Bob felt a pang in his chest when she said that, but he tried not to let it bother him. “Nope. You kids stay safe today, and we’ll see you tonight at the latest.”

They said their goodbyes before hanging up. Bob couldn’t help but feel guilty even though he hadn’t lied to them.

“You really think he’ll be okay?”

“Of course I do, Bob. The doctors know what they’re doing.”

“And… if he’s not… I mean, if he doesn’t… what do we tell the kids?”

Lin didn’t answer right away. Her fingers were trembling even as Bob squeezed her hand a little tighter. “We’ll… cross that bridge if we come to it.”

Hours flew by quickly as they each took turns dozing in each other’s arms. They had been hoping to receive an update, but there was no such luck. They wrote the kids texts every now and then to make sure they were okay, and their children in turn would send back messages or photos of what they were doing. It was clear they were having lots of fun without their parents home.

It was just past noon when they received another phone call, this time from Bob’s phone. He didn’t check the caller ID, sure that it was the kids.

“Hello?”

_“Hey, Bobby, what’s up?”_

Oh, it was Teddy. He sat up in his reclined seat. Shit. He had forgotten to tell Teddy. What was he going to say? “Um, well--”

_“It’s just that, I noticed the restaurant wasn’t open today. And I thought, what’s up with that? It’s always open, y’know? Even on holidays.”_

“Well, Teddy, I--”

_“But if something’s wrong, Bobby, y’know you can tell me. I’m always here to listen.”_

“Listen, Teddy, uh--”

_“So what’s going o--?”_

“Mort tried to kill himself.”

For once in his life, Teddy had nothing to say. There was silence over the speaker for the longest time. Bob immediately felt bad. Lin squeezed his hand, giving him a concerned glance. “Teddy, I’m sorry, that wasn’t very… I’m sorry.”

_“No, I… just, don’t know what to say.”_

Bob could hear his friend sniffling though it sounded like the handyman was trying to cover it up. He wished he was there to comfort him. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes again, too, at hearing the pain in Teddy’s voice. God, was he always this emotional?

_“What happened?”_

“I… don’t wanna talk about it right now. I’m sorry.”

_“No, no, I get that. Is he... okay?”_

“I don’t know.”

There was more silence. Bob’s fingers were going tingly again.

_“Bob, is there… is there anything I can do?”_

Bob thought about it for a moment, looking at Lin who gently brushed his tears away with a tissue. God, he didn’t deserve her. “Well, it’s just kind of a waiting game here at the hospital. But do you think you could… watch my kids for a bit? Just until we get home?”

_“Of course, Bobby. I’ll be Uncle Teddy today, no problem.”_

The sniffling sounded like it was getting worse. Bob knew he should wrap it up to give his friend the privacy to cry. “Thanks, Teddy. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

_“Sure thing, Bob. Love you.”_

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “I… love you too, bud.” Lin gave him an odd look as he put his phone away, a grin across her face. “Wh-what?”

“You love Teddy,” she teased in a sing-song voice, and Bob smiled back.

“Yeah, I do. I love my friends. And, I love you.”

_  
_

There wasn’t really all that much to do while waiting, it turned out. The only places they could go were the cafeteria, cafe, or outside. They considered going and grabbing a bite to eat but the idea of something happening to Mort and them not being there to hear the news outweighed their growing hunger. At Linda’s insistence, she went to the vending machine and got them both a water and some snacks.

Bob couldn’t really eat, though. He felt guilty being able to eat when his friend couldn’t. In fact, if he recovered, would Mort ever be able to eat again? Bob tried to nibble on his cereal bar, but flashes of the memory of the rope wound tightly around his friend’s neck made him nauseous. He set his food aside and declared he wasn’t all that hungry, actually. This worried Lin, but she didn’t push the issue.

They didn’t really get many updates from Teddy and the kids, either. The handyman-turned-babysitter sent them messages about every hour or so, filling them in on all the goings on at the apartment. They had watched Home Alone 1 and 2, made cookies, and decorated the whole place with homemade decor. Bob figured that they probably made quite the mess in doing so, but he couldn’t bring himself to mind; he was just glad they were having fun.

It was half past five. Bob had just returned from the bathroom, the first time he had gotten up in a few hours. He stretched like an old cat as he made his way back over to where Lin was seated. Judging from her expression, it didn’t look like she had gotten any new info. Still, he asked.

“Did I miss anything?”

She sighed, her exhaustion clear. “Nope, still nothing. Surely it can’t be too much longer--”

“Bobby? Lin?”

Bob hardly had time to turn when he was attacked. Gene and Louise wrapped themselves around his legs. Normally, he’d be annoyed at this, but really, he was just happy to see them. Also, he was really surprised. “Hey, what are you guys doing here?”

“I told them they could come by,” Linda answered without quite meeting Bob’s eyes. “Just for a little bit. To drop something off and say hi. They missed us, Bobby.”

“Yeah, we missed you, Dad,” Tina greeted while wrapping her arms around his waist. He hugged her back, smile tugging on his lips despite his slight annoyance.

“I missed you, too. But could you kids please let go of me?” The Belcher kids reluctantly peeled themselves off of their father, turning to greet their mother instead. This gave Bob an opportunity to talk discreetly with Teddy.

“Hey, how are you holding up?”

“I’m okay,” Teddy shrugged and played sheepishly with his hands. “Babysitting really helped. You’ve got good kids, Bob.” He trailed off for a moment, not sure how to address the elephant in the room. “So, uh… still nothing?”

“Afraid so. We haven’t heard anything since this morning.”

“Ouch. That’s… rough. I just… The signs were all there, y’know? I wish I had noticed sooner.”

“Me, too, Teddy.” Bob put an arm around his friend’s shoulders. It made him feel awkward, but he knew Teddy was often best comforted through touch. “But we-we can’t think about that now. He’ll be alright, he’ll--”

“Bob Belcher?”

Bob hadn’t realized how loud the waiting room had gotten until everyone suddenly grew silent. Even the kids, who had been telling Linda all about their day, didn’t say a word. Bob turned to the doctor who had approached, inwardly groaning as his fingers twitched anxiously. Of course it would be when the kids were here that they would finally get some news.

“Your numbers have definitely grown, huh?”

Bob didn’t say anything to that. He approached the doctor as everyone watched with bated breath. “Good news or bad news?”

“A bit of both. Which do you want first?”

“Good,” was the automatic response.

“The good news is, he’s out of surgery and stable.” The volume of the room rose tenfold all at once, each of them cheering. Linda hugged the kids tightly, and Teddy clasped Bob’s shoulders in excitement. The burgerman couldn’t help but smile. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest, and he could finally breathe easy.

“So, he’s going to be okay?”

“Well,” the doctor’s tone grew hushed, acutely aware of the children in the room. “That’s where the bad news comes in. He’ll live, but it’s going to be a long recovery. We still don’t have all the details of what the process is going to look like yet.”

“That’s okay,” Bob said swiftly. He felt guilty at being slightly relieved not to have to hear everything wrong with his friend. “Can we… can we see him?”

The doctor looked over everyone in the room, which was only the Belcher family and Teddy. He tapped a pen against his clipboard, mulling something over. “We’re not really allowed to bring anyone back this early. But since it’s the holidays, I can let a couple of you back there for just a minute.”

It wasn’t hard to decide who would get to go back. The kids were upset they wouldn’t be allowed to come, but they handed something off to their father anyways.

“What are these?”

“We made cards!” Gene grinned as he gave his dad a sheet of green construction paper covered in glitter and sequins. Bob smiled.

“That’s... really sweet, guys.”

“Eh, it’s whatever.” Of course Louise would try to play it off like it was no big deal. Hers had a stick figure drawing of what Bob assumed to be her and Mort gluing a wig to a cadaver. The subject matter was questionable, but he found it sweet nonetheless.

“Ah, I love it!” Linda admired the card Tina had handed her. It said ‘Hope you’re back in the saddle soon!’ with a surprisingly well-drawn picture of a smiling horse wearing an elf hat. “We’ll see if we can give these to him, okay?”

The doctor ushered them through some doors and led them down a long, winding hallway. Bob tried not to glance around too much in fear of seeing something gory; this was the surgery department, after all. He and Lin walked hand in hand, and she tried to give him a reassuring smile. He wasn’t sure what to expect. After all, the last time he’d seen Mort, it hadn’t been pretty. Hopefully the doctors patched him up good.

They finally stopped in front of a door that looked as plain as all the others they passed. “I’m afraid I can’t let you enter, but I could open the curtain for you.” The two nodded, and the doctor stepped inside for a moment to move the curtain out of the way, allowing them to see through a window into the room.

Somehow, this was worse.

Mort was already a short man to begin with, but laying there in that hospital bed, he looked so small. There were so many cords attached to him, but the one that really caught Bob’s attention was the ventilation system. It would almost look like a CPAP machine if it weren’t for the tubes running up his nose. He also had a thick brace around his neck, and his hands were wrapped in bandages.

Bob must’ve started losing his balance, because Linda was grabbing onto him, tight. “Are you okay?”

“I,” Oh, great, the tears were back. “I don’t know.”

Lin had tears in her eyes, too. She could only be strong for so long. The doctor returned, but they both couldn’t take their eyes off their friend.

“I know it looks scary,” the professional began softly, “but all this equipment is necessary to keep him stable. Right now, he’s in a medically-induced coma--”

“Coma?!”

“Don’t worry, that’s completely normal. It just means he’ll be asleep for a day, maybe two. Makes it easier for the body to heal from surgery.”

Bob nodded and squeezed Lin’s hand. He had never felt so tired, and their couple of minutes was up. They were just starting to head back to the waiting room when Lin remembered.

“Wait! Could we give you something to give him?” She showed the doctor the cards the kids had made. “We know he can’t read them right now, but it would mean so much…”

“Say no more. I’ll put these on his bedside table.”

_  
_

When they were told they should go home and get rest, they didn’t argue this time. They knew that Mort was going to live and that he was in good hands. Plus, the hospital promised to call if anything changed, so there really was no reason for them to stay any longer.

Bob immediately collapsed onto the couch after getting inside, lazily kicking his shoes off. Lin did the same, choosing to sit on the floor with her back resting against the couch. They had invited Teddy over for a makeshift Christmas Eve dinner, but now, they really didn’t feel like cooking.

“Sorry it’s a little messy. I promise I’ll help clean later,” Teddy apologized as he plopped down into the chair. They hadn’t noticed when they walked in, but the house was a bit of a disaster. Glitter and paper clippings littered the floor, and paper decorations of misshapen angels were everywhere. Neither Lin nor Bob could feel angry about it, though. They were just glad to be home.

“It’s fine, Teddy. I think it looks… nice. Very Christmas-y.”

The kids had changed into their pajamas almost as soon as they got home and had just returned to sit at the coffee table. There hung a palpable tension in the air.

“So,” Tina began hesitantly, “Mort’s going to be okay?”

Lin smiled and pulled her daughter into a hug. “He sure will, sweetie, so don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.”

Louise looked uncharacteristically bummed out. “But he has to spend Christmas Eve all alone…”

“It’s okay, Louise,” Bob reassured her, “we can’t visit him right now anyways. And he would want us to enjoy the holiday together.”

“And when we _can_ go see him, I’ll share some of my Christmas candy with him!”

“Aw, that’s my Genie weenie. My little selfless baby.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Louise addressed the second elephant in the room.

“So… about dinner.”

“Let’s get takeout,” Teddy piped up, already pulling out his phone to see what was open. “It’ll be my treat.”

The kids (and Teddy) all ended up falling asleep watching Elf and eating Chinese takeout. Bob carefully carried each child to their respective bed while Linda made sure Teddy was comfy on the couch. They were thankful that they had wrapped presents a few days prior, quickly putting them under the tree before getting snuggled up in their bed.

“Feels nice to sleep in a bed again,” Bob murmured as he pulled the comforter up around his neck.

“Sure does.”

They both trailed off even though they each had something more they wanted to say.

“...Do you think if I had gotten there sooner, he’d have been okay?”

Linda rolled over to face him, her expression a mixture of concern and seriousness. “Bobby, I don’t even want to hear it. None of this is your fault.”

“But--”

“No but’s. There’s no point dwelling in the past. He’s going to be okay, we’re going to be there for him, and that’s all that matters.”

Bob couldn’t argue with that. He went to bed full and warm. The last thing he thought about before he drifted off was how lucky he was to have such a great family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed that angst and family bonding. please let me know what you think!


	4. Christmas Morning and a Little Bit After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is just a thinly-veiled vent fic about a rough time in my life, ngl. writing is therapeutic

Morning came quicker than they would have thought. Bob and Lin both slept like babies, glad to finally be back in their warm, comfy bed. After the good news they had received yesterday, they felt like they could sleep easy knowing their friend was in good hands. Bob was especially glad to have a dreamless sleep not plagued by nightmares.

It was Christmas Day, so the two parents were thoroughly surprised to wake up on their own accord. Bob woke up first, stretching and blinking blearily to regain his senses. He figured it must have been early in the morning; the kids were often up at the crack of dawn, screaming and jumping on the bed. It was a Christmas tradition at the Belcher home. But when Bob glanced at the alarm clock, he was shocked to see just how late in the morning it was: just a bit past ten. Was something wrong? He almost never got to sleep in, after all.

He got up carefully so as not to disturb his wife, threw on his lazy pants and slippers, and scuttled into the hallway. There was no sign of anyone in the living room, and it looked a lot cleaner than it did yesterday though there was still glitter all over the carpet. The presents and stockings sat untouched under the tree. Huh. He made his way down the hall, peering into each room he passed. The kids weren’t there, either. He was starting to panic when he heard noises from the kitchen.

Sure enough, that’s where he found them. The kids were all seated at the kitchen table, scribbling on pieces of paper. Art supplies dominated the table. Teddy was standing over the stove flipping flapjacks. They were all singing along to Christmas carols that were playing over the radio. Bob couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh, Bobby!” Teddy had noticed him in the doorway, but the kids hardly glanced up. “I was just, uh, makin’ breakfast. Kids’ idea. I don’t mean to overstep--”

“It’s fine, Teddy,” Bob reassured as he started making coffee. He knew Teddy wasn’t much of a chef, but the pancakes smelt pretty good. “You guys do know it’s Christmas, right? Like, you’re favorite holiday?”

“Christmas isn’t our favorite holiday,” Louise piped up with an eyeroll.

“Yeah, you shouldn’t assume things, father. Kwanzaa’s my favorite!”

Bob sighed, but he was still smiling. “Gene, we don’t even celebrate Kwanzaa.”

“My favorite is national kissing day.”

“Tina, that’s… that’s not a thing.” He didn’t wait to hear her rebuttal. “What I mean is, thanks for letting us sleep in. For once.”

“Yeah, I told them you guys might need some extra sleep,” Teddy smiled at his friend. “But you might wanna get Lin up. Breakfast is ready!”

Their breakfast was delicious, if not a little overcooked. Because of the mess at the kitchen table, they chose to eat in the living room. Now that their parents were up, the Belcher children were getting antsy to open presents. They rushed through their breakfast, the sugar of syrup and chocolate chips getting them more hyper. Even Tina, who was usually more laidback even when she was excited, was pumped to open some presents.

Bob and Lin loved watching the kids open their gifts on Christmas morning. Sure, they never got exactly what they had asked for, but they were always appreciative nonetheless. It was nice to take their minds off all their troubles, though Bob did keep glancing at his phone in case the hospital called. They hadn’t received any updates since last night, and he tried not to let that bother him. Mort would be okay; he was in good hands.

In just a couple of hours, the living room looked like a tornado had crashed through it. Wrapping paper was strewn about the floor, and boxes of toys and games were everywhere. With the warm air of the heater and soft carols playing, noone could care less about the mess, though. Bob and Lin received their usual coupon books with the kids promising that this time, they’d honor it. They had said that last year, though, but neither of them minded. They were just glad the kids were having a good time.

After a long morning of Christmas fun, Teddy, ever the best uncle, offered to take the kids sledding. Of course, he wanted the kids to have a good holiday, but the true motivation behind the trip was to let Bob and Linda have a bit more time to rest. And they tried to; at least, for a little bit. They spent most of their time drinking wine and doing their best to pick up the living room. No matter how many times they vacuumed, specks of glitter remained. It was a tad frustrating.

“A moment alone in the house, just me and you,” Linda snuggled into him on the couch after they gave up on the carpet. “It’s a Christmas miracle!”

Bob made a noise of affirmation, trying to pay attention to the Christmas rom-com Lin had picked out for them to watch. He couldn’t focus, though. He kept glancing at his phone every few minutes, and his wife was starting to notice.

“Bob, come on, you’re gonna stress yourself out staring at that thing.”

“I can’t help it, Lin. Shouldn’t we have gotten a call by now?”

“They’re probably just running tests, and doing other… doctor things.”

Bob chuckled, the genuinity of the sound surprising both of them. Maybe he was just a little strung out. He was just about to put his phone in his pocket for good when it started to ring. He was swift to answer.

“Hello?”

_“Hey, Bobby, how’s it goin’?”_

Oh, it was Teddy. Bob felt guilty with how disappointed he was to hear that voice. He mentally slapped himself.

“Hey, Teddy. It’s going well. We picked up a bit, watchin’ a movie now.” After realizing it wasn’t a call from the hospital, Lin excused herself to refill her glass.

_“That’s good. Still no updates?”_

“Not yet. How’re the kids?”

There was a pause. _“They’re… well.”_

“What do you mean ‘well?’ They’re okay, right?”

_“Oh, yeah, yeah. They’re fine, having fun sledding. I can see them right now. It’s just… I think they’re a little stressed is all.”_

Bob sighed, figuring that was the case. His kids were emotionally quite strong, but this was kind of a stressful situation. “I figured. We still don’t know how to… how to approach the subject with them.”

_“Yeah, I can’t imagine how hard that is. Talkin’ to kids about death, yikes. But I’m tryin’ to make sure they’re having a good time. It’s still Christmas, y’know?”_

“You know I appreciate it.”

_“I know. It’s just, I feel bad for Mort, too. Spending Christmas alone in the hospital…”_

“He-he’s Jewish, Teddy, I don’t think he celebrates Christmas.”

_“Well, he’s spending Hanukkah alone, isn’t he?”_

“I-I don’t know, I don’t know when that is--” Bob’s phone was buzzing, alerting him that he had another incoming call. “Oh, Teddy, I’m getting another call--”

_“Wait, when is Hanukkah? It’s like, a week long right?”_

“Uh, yeah, I think, but listen, I gotta go--”

_“And I-I think it changes every year? Does that sound right?”_

“Teddy, I really have to go, I’m hanging up now.” Bob cut the call off while Teddy was still rambling. “He-hello?”

Lin rummaged through the wine cabinet in search of something sweet. When she couldn’t find what she was looking for, she settled. It wasn’t her favorite brand, but that was okay; anything to get her through this crazy holiday. She topped her glass off, opting to bring the bottle with her back to the living room so she wouldn’t have to make another trip when she inevitably finished her second glass.

She was finally beginning to relax. Wine always helped her unwind, and seeing her babies so happy on Christmas day had done wonder for her psyche. She was lucky to be with her family this holiday, safe and warm with a roof over her head. She counted her blessings every day, especially in circumstances like these. She had hardly entered the living room before being ambushed. Bob had her in a bear hug, and it took a steady hand to keep her glass from spilling over. She was adept having been living with three wild kids for so long. She didn’t know what the hug was for, but she awkwardly tried to hug him back, even with her hands full.

“Bobby, what’s all this about?”

She was hoping he hadn’t received any bad news while she was out of the room or having another breakdown, though she was prepared to comfort him if needed. When he pulled away, though, he had a big smile on his face.

“He’s awake, Lin! They said we can go see him tomorrow.”

Tomorrow had felt like such a long time to wait when Bob had first received that call. But now that it was tomorrow--well, today--he hardly felt emotionally prepared.

“Now kids,” Lin was lecturing them while they all ate lunch. They had slept in through breakfast, the kids crashing from their sugar highs and the parents simply being exhausted. “Remember the rules we went over.”

“We know, we know,” Louise sighed through a mouthful of sandwich, “no touching, poking or prodding any medical equipment.”

“Or Mort. He probably isn’t up for any physical interaction today.”

“If he’s up at all! Teddy said they gave him some pretty heavy stuff.”

“That’s true, Gene,” Bob said, sipping on his coffee, “so he’s going to be tired. Which means no being loud or annoying. We have to be on our best behavior today.” 

“Your father’s right. No running off, either. You stay in the room only, y’hear?”

“So how come Teddy can’t come?”

“We’re really not even allowed to have five people visiting at once; they’re making an exception just to let us back.” The children looked disappointed at that, but Bob was quick to reassure them. “Teddy’s gonna go see him tomorrow, though.”

The kids had been pretty excited during the car ride, but once they got to the hospital, their spirits had fallen. None of them liked being there.

“Does anyone else hate hospitals, or is that just me?” Tina asked quietly as they headed over to the ward Mort was staying at. “Sorry, hate’s a strong word.”

Bob understood the anxiety. “No, hate’s the right word. But sometimes, things we hate are... necessary.”

“Like broccoli!”

“Or taxes!”

“Kids, please,” Lin hushed them. After checking in, a doctor led them down a long, white corridor. It looked and smelled eerily sterile. Bob hated it. His grip on his wife’s hand grew tighter as did Louise’s on his pant leg. He knew the kids hated hospitals, but they had insisted on coming, wanting to give Mort some more get well cards they had made.

“This is the room,” the doctor announced as they approached a door that looked like all the others. Bob nodded and was about to go for the knob when he was stopped. “Just a few quick notes before you go in. Your friend is still in and out of it right now, so please don’t expect any feedback from him today.”

“We understand,” Lin assured.

“And please no touching or moving any equipment. If you need anything, there’s a button on the right side of the bed you can press to get a nurse’s attention.”

With that, the doctor allowed them inside the room, Bob going first with Lin and the kids following behind. The children had been warned that Mort was going to look a lot different, but seeing it for themselves really made the situation a lot more real. As the door silently clicked shut, they all stood still and looked at the slumbering man as if anything they may say or do might wake him.

Bob didn’t think he had ever seen his kids look so serious. “Does it,” Gene whispered without taking his eyes off the ventilator tubes, “Does it hurt?”

Bob was beginning to feel a bit bad about letting the kids come, but he knew why they had wanted to be here. “No, it doesn’t hurt.”

“What does it do?”

That was a good question. Louise wanted to get a closer look, but a stern glance from her mother dissuaded her. She took a seat instead. “It, um,” Bob started, looking towards his wife for help. He didn’t really know anything about medical equipment.

“It helps him breathe, honey. It’s not scary at all, and it definitely doesn’t hurt.”

“Then, what about this one?”

Bob glanced at the cord Tina had pointed out but had to quickly look away. God, he hated those. “That’s an IV. It gives him… fluids.”

“Fluids?”

“Yeah, like, food and water and stuff.”

“Oh, so they puree food into soup and put it in there?”

“N-no, Gene, that’s not… I don’t think that’s how it works.”

This started a quiet game of the children asking questions and their parents struggling to find the right answers. They were all starting to feel at ease especially at seeing how well their friend was being taken care of. Nurses would come in every now and then to check on things, and the Belcher children would aim their questions at them. Linda lectured them again on being annoying, but the nurses humored them.

Bob was still a bit tense, though. He sat right next to the bed, trying to chat with his family or make comments on the TV program Lin had put on to play quietly in the background. He couldn’t help but keep looking at Mort, though. He had been hoping his friend would be awake today, but he figured it was too soon. Every now and then, the small man’s eyelids would begin to flutter, but that was about it. Without realizing it, he wound up gently holding the other’s hand. He couldn’t be too sure, but every now and then, he almost felt some semblance of a squeeze.

Lin watched her husband while the children berated yet another poor nurse who had entered the room for a quick check up. She couldn’t read Bob’s eyes, and that scared her. She figured he was still feeling guilty about the whole thing, though she wished she could drill it into his thick skull that none of this was his fault. If anything, he was the only reason Mort was laying here in a hospital bed instead of some morgue in another town.

For now though, there was little that could be done. She rested her hands on her husband’s shoulders, and they shared a smile. Tina noticed this exchange and elbowed her younger siblings to quiet down. It was a peaceful moment.

By the time anyone had noticed the passage of time, the sun had already set. The kids had been out of the room a few times to get snacks and use the restroom, but it still seemed like they were getting a bit restless. They were just children, after all. Spending all day in a hospital wasn’t the highest thing on their to-do lists, even if they were visiting a family friend.

“Not that I don’t love the idea of a vending machine dinner,” Gene started as he munched on the last of his granola bar, “but I’m getting a bit peckish.”

Bob glanced at his phone. “Oh, right, it’s pretty late. Maybe we should… head out?”

Even though he was the one to suggest it, he didn’t sound all that enthusiastic about it. It was like, he had been so nervous to see Mort after what had happened, but now that he was here, he didn’t want to leave.

“We have to leave eventually, Bob.” Lin was rubbing his back again, and he leaned into the touch. He knew she was right, even though he didn’t want to admit it. 

“Alright, let’s go home and make dinner.”

“Make dinner? At this hour?”

“Fine, we’ll… get pizza.”

The children began to cheer but Lin was quick to shush them. Mort was heavily drugged, sure, but she didn’t want to risk waking him up; he needed all the sleep he could get. She got the kids to gather her coats while Bob slowly stood. One glimpse of his expression, and she knew what needed to be done.

“Bobby, we’ll meet you in the car, okay? Take your time.”

The kids said goodbye to Mort even though the man couldn’t hear them. Bob was alone in the room. No, that wasn’t true, he wasn’t alone. He didn’t let go of Mort’s hand.

“I know you probably can’t hear me,” Bob began speaking aloud, “but um… I just, I need you to know how much you mean to me.” He had to wipe tears from his eyes with his free hand. God, he was starting to feel silly. “Sorry I’m not good at e-expressing my feelings sometimes. But I’m glad you’re my friend. I’m glad you’re okay.”

There was no reply, and he didn’t need one. He gave Mort’s hand one last squeeze before grabbing his coat and leaving the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eyy, thanks as always for reading. got the rest of the fic outlined; thinking it'll be about 10 or so chapters. that can change, though.  
> if you liked it, please be sure to leave a comment! comments are the main thing that give me motivation to keep writing haha


	5. An Eventful Visit

A couple of days passed, and things were slowly starting to go back to normal. Since the holiday was over, the restaurant reopened. Bob was happy to be back in the kitchen, doing what he loved. It helped him take his mind off the stress of the whole situation. He found it easy to just space out for a few hours, flipping burgers and serving plates. But at night, when it was time to close, he found himself growing antsy. He would go and see his friend every day if he could, but the doctors had told him that they had tests to run first. It made him more than a little anxious.

Lin was so patient this entire time. She manned the front of the restaurant and wrangled the kids who were still hyped up on their leftover Christmas candy, making them more annoying than helpful. Not that she or Bob minded; it was good to see them having fun during such a difficult time. The Belcher kids were strong, and so they had to try to be strong, too.

Bob wasn’t as strong as his family though. He faltered. His synthetic smiles never reached his eyes the way they used to, and he looked tired constantly. The nights were long. Every night, Lin would awaken to his tossing and turning, and she did her best to comfort him, to encourage him to try and get rest when he didn’t want to close his eyes. A naturally nurturing person, she was his rock through all this. He only wished he could be stronger for her. Yet, she never asked that of him. Her patience was endless.

On just the second day of the restaurant being reopened, he got another call. Thank God it was good news. Mort was awake; moreso this time than he had been prior, according to the staff. Made sense as they were slowly weaning him off the narcotics they were pumping into him. Not only that, but he was asking for visitors. He was _asking_ to see Bob and Lin and all of the kids. How could he refuse his friend that one request? Bob said he’d be there that night.

Preferably, he would’ve gone right away, but Lin talked sense into him. She always managed to do that. It would be bad for business if they closed the restaurant right after reopening, and they had bills to pay. They could go that night just as easily anyways. Of course, that made sense. But it sure as hell made the day hard to get through.

Teddy had also been invited to go, but he went in the morning instead, only making Bob all-the-more jealous. But he was anxious, too. If Mort was up and talking… what was he going to say? Would he be mad at Bob? Would things be awkward between them? What if the kids asked him what happened? As a million questions raced through his head, he was glad to be working over the grill; at least then his sweat looked natural.

“Do we really have to have dinner now? We can’t have it after?”

Though they had closed the restaurant a couple hours early (customers were rare after 5, especially in this shitty weather), Linda has insisted that they eat dinner together before they all headed out. She was in the process of making spaghetti and meatballs, a quick meal that didn’t seem quick enough for her Bobby. She gave him a stern look as she stirred the noodles.

“Yes, Bob. We’ve been eating nothing but crap this entire holiday.”

“What you call crap, other people call delicious,” Louise remarked, sneakily popping a Lindt ball into her mouth. Even though she was focused on cooking, Lin noticed.

“Hey, miss missy! What’d I say about candy at the dinner table?”

“That’d it ruin our appetites?” Tina said without realizing that the question asked was a rhetorical one. Gene groaned.

“Good going, Louise. You ruined it for the rest of us!”

Bob looked up from his phone where he had been furiously texting Teddy about the handyman’s morning visit. He regarded his children skeptically, chuckling when he noticed their suspiciously full pockets.

“Did you all seriously sneak candy in here?”

They didn’t need to answer; Bob already knew the truth. With a stern glare from their mother, Louise groaned and stood noisily from the table.

“Fine, we’ll go put our candy away. C’mon, guys.”

“Thank you, Louise.” Lin had turned back to preparing dinner and Bob to his phone when the last straggler, Gene, stopped in the doorway.

“Do you think Mort would want some of our candy?”

The question caught both parents off guard. They stared at their son for a moment before sharing a heavy glance.

Bob was the first to break the silence. “I… don’t think he can eat candy right now. A-and you don’t have to give him any of yours, buddy.”

“No, but I want to.” Gene thought for a moment. “I’ll set some aside for when he’s better. The good stuff!”

He ran off, leaving Bob and Lin alone in the kitchen. Bob set his phone down without taking his eyes off of where Gene had just been standing. He was smiling without realizing it. “Our kids are so sweet, Lin.”

Lin scoffed, but she was smiling too. “Sweet? More like sour, the little devils. Now let’s make plates!”

Bob felt that the hospital was growing to be all too familiar to him. At this point, he didn’t need a map to guide him nor did he have to stop a passing healthcare worker to ask for directions. He knew exactly where he was going and led his family with confidence down the meandering hallways. It was weird in a way, but he felt like after this experience, he was beginning to hate the hospital less and less.

All of his confidence faded when he reached the proper ward. For a moment, he had nearly forgotten what he and his family had come here for. Now, his heart was pounding and his palms were feeling extra sweaty. He could hardly feel Lin’s hand on his back through his winter coat. When they approached the desk, Bob found that his mouth and throat was desert dry again. He started to stumble over his words, but Lin silenced him.

“We’re here to see Mortimer James.”

A doctor promptly led them to their friend’s door even though they already knew where to go. It was just a formality, really. It was a different doctor than the one from last time; how many doctors worked here? Probably a lot, Bob figured. He was lost in his thoughts that he almost didn’t register the words being spoken to him.

“...Did you get all that?”

Lin was nodding, but Bob was frazzled. “Um, no, sorry. Could you, uh, repeat that?”

She was a patient woman though, a smile and a nod. She started to repeat what she had just said. “Your friend is a bit more awake now, still a bit groggy though, so try to keep the volume down. He’s still on a ventilator and will be for a while, so he won’t be able to talk--”

“--but, they said, on the phone, tha-that he asked for us?”

The doctor nodded, not at all bothered by the interruption. “He’s able to communicate, to an extent. At his request, we’ve set up a system where he can use his fingers for speech.”

The kids had been zoning out, but this seemed to pique Louise’s interest. “Did you give him a ouija board? Can he talk to the dead?”

Lin was starting to berate her, but the doctor merely chuckled. “Oh, no, nothing like that. We have a computer and keyboard set up with text to speech. He’s already quite adept with it.”

“Oh,” Tina piped up matter-of-factly, “so he’s a robot now.”

“A robot? Do we really have the technology?”

“Kids, please.”

The doctor laughed again at this exchange. “No, no, not quite a robot. Just a robot voice.” Her tone suddenly lowered as she regarded Bob and Linda. “Though, it’s a little challenging for him on account of his quadriplegia.”

Bob’s face suddenly blanched. “Quadri-quadri-what?”

“Oh, I thought you two were told last time. Quadriplegia. It’s paralysis of the extremities; the arms and legs. It occurs when blood flow to the body is decreased.” At their shocked expressions, she was quick to continue. “But, we’re hoping that it’s temporary; he’s already showing signs of recovery, and he’ll have physical therapy when he’s a bit better. Just try not to push him too hard, okay? He can move his fingers enough to type short phrases, so don’t push him to do much more than that.”

Bob and Lin, clutching each other, could only nod. The kids had lost interest when they were told their family friend wasn’t a robot, but they were smart enough to be able to read a room. Well, Louise was. Things must’ve been pretty serious to make them both look as concerned as they were right then. They’d better be on their best behavior, then.

With that little lecture, the doctor opened the door and allowed them into the room. The kids rushed in first with Bob and Lin following swiftly in after them.

“I’ll be back in a bit to check on things,” the doctor said as the door swung closed.

_Hey_

The sound of the synthetic voice made Bob’s head turn away from the door and towards the center of the room. There, sitting up in bed, was Mort. He still had so many cords running in and out of him as well as a neck brace on, but actually, he somehow looked… better than he had before. Though there were still bags under his eyes, he didn’t look so pale, probably since he was now getting proper fluids and nutrition. He had one arm in his lap and another resting on a keyboard that sat on a tray in front of him. His green eyes were dulled over and half-lidded like he had just woken up. The computer voice was gonna take some getting used to.

“Oh, s-sorry, did we wake you?”

_Yes. Is ok._

It took the man some time to type responses, his fingers ghosting slowly over the keys. It looked like it took a lot of energy out of him just to do that which made Bob feel bad. But Mort was beaming. Well, his lopsided grin was as close to “beaming” as it could get. But the emotion was there, and it made Bob smile in return.

_So glad… see yall_

Bob sat down in the seat closest to his friend, his family following suit. The kids had been anxious like they always were when they came to hospitals, but now that the tension in the room had died down a bit, they felt more at ease.

“Mort,” Gene was standing besides the man who looked at him curiously, unable to turn his head. “I heard that they’re making you into a robot. Is that true?”

If the man could laugh, he would have. _Fraid… not… tech not… there_

“That’s what I said! We just aren’t ready for that kind of world yet.”

“Follow up question,” Louise had approached the bed despite all the tubes and wires secretly making her anxious. “What does hospital food taste like? Is it as bad as they say in the movies?”

_No food… just… fluids_

“Is that what this is?” Tina pointed to a bag on a pole, the fluids that was keeping him well-nurtured. She wanted to poke at it, but another stern look from her mother kept her from doing so.

_Yes_

Gene piped up with another question. “What does it taste like? Water?”

Mort didn’t type anything for a while, and Bob was worried the man had worn himself out. It turned out he just needed some time to mull it over. As it was through an IV, he couldn’t really taste it. Yet it did leave his mouth dry in an oddly chemical way.

_Cotton_

They played that game for a while; the kids asking questions and Mort slowly typing out answers. A doctor came and checked on them once, reassuring the worried parents that typing was good exercise for him. Mort tried to reassure them, too, but Bob wasn’t sure if he was being sincere or passively polite.

_Am okay… nice to… talk_

“Well, okay,” the burgerman relented, “but if they become too much, let us know. I know they’re annoying sometimes.”

Louise pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You take back your filthy words, father!”

Lin quickly changed the subject. She told Mort all about the holiday-themed dinner theater she went to with some friends last month, even singing a few arias from the show much to Mort’s delight. Bob was a little annoyed; not because he didn’t want his wife to talk passionately about her interests but because he had a grudge against dinner theaters. Mort loved it, though. Bob figured it must’ve been nice to finally talk to people after such a long absence. Did the mortician have any friends besides Bob and Teddy? Had he really spent the last two months or so completely alone, with nothing but cadavers and mourners for company? The thought made him ill.

_Together… sometime_

“Sorry, I don’t understand, Mort,” Lin smiled apologetically, knowing the man was trying his best. It must’ve been hard communicating by typing when he could barely even move his fingers. It took her a few moments to piece together what he was trying to say.

“Oh, you want to go to dinner theater with me sometime?”

_Yes_

Mort looked pleased that she had understood, and she looked ecstatic at the idea. It was important for him to want to make plans for the future. “Of course! It’ll be my treat.”

Everyone was in a good mood as they continued chatting. Even Bob was starting to feel some of that leftover pressure lift off his shoulders. He had expected the visit to be an awkward one, but it was all going well. However, it wasn’t long for the kids to start getting antsy and the night grew later and later.

“I don’t want to interrupt,” Gene said, interrupting Bob and Mort chatting about Teddy’s visit earlier in the day, “but I’m getting kind of hungry.”

Lin looked at the clock, noticing the hour. They hadn’t been there all that long, but they had eaten a rather early dinner. “Alright, why don’t we go get you guys a snack? Just a small one, though.”

The three kids cheered and got up from their seats. Without realizing it, Gene, who had been sitting closest to all the medical equipment by Mort’s bed, got his foot tangled in the IV cord. When he inevitably tripped, the cord came with him. Bob went pale at the sight of blood. Beeping filled the air, on top of which came that robotic voice.

_Whoops_

It took two seconds for the situation to be remedied by the nurse who came rushing in, but Bob and Gene were both in hysterics. Bob from the little bit of blood he had seen and Gene because… well…

“I killed Mort, I killed Mort!” he yelled over and over again, arms flung across the mortician’s legs in an awkward sort of hug. Lin stood with her daughters across the room, out of the way of the nurse, not knowing how to diffuse the situation. Mort was trying to laugh but couldn’t make the sound through his crushed throat and the ventilator.

_Still… okay_

It took a lot of reassuring from everyone in the room, but eventually, Gene managed to calm down. It was decided, then, that it was about time for them to leave, especially since the panic had gotten Mort’s heartbeat a little erratic. He could only take so much excitement in his current condition, after all.

After the nurse left, they all began saying their goodbyes, promising that they’d be back soon. Gene, though he was told not to bring any candy, left a sucker on Mort’s bedside table.

“I know you can’t have it now, but it’s for when you get better.”

Mort gave the kid a tired smile, worn out from all the talking and visiting he had done that day. After sharing a look with Bob, Lin said a quick goodbye and hurried the kids out of the room. Bob did the same and was about to follow out, when a voice stopped him.

_Bob_

He turned and looked at his friend who blinked wearily at him. He was really worn out. “What’s up?”

_What… happened_

During the whole visit, it had been the Belcher family asking the questions. Now that the roles had been reversed, Bob didn’t know what to say. His hands felt cold. “What… do you mean?”

_Why… here_

Bob knew what he was getting at, yet he still didn’t understand. “Y-you don’t remember?”

_No_

He glanced out the window in the door, looking around for someone who could help. He was not the one who should be explaining this. “I… don’t think I should tell you right--”

_Please_

The word had been typed so quickly, like the man was pouring what little energy he had left into it. More words soon followed.

_Teddy… won’t…_

“Have you asked your doctors?”

_Scared... please_

How could he have forgotten? The memory was still so real in Bob’s mind; he had nightmares about it every night. The image was burned straight into his retinas, to the point where every moment his eyes were shut was a reawakened hell. If Mort had really forgotten, was it okay for Bob to remind him? To tell him the truth? Or was that something a doctor should do? But hearing those words from someone so impartial... He swallowed thickly and made a decision.

He could feel his lips moving and the breath coming out, but he couldn’t hear the words. The expression on his friend’s face morphed into emotions Bob didn’t know existed before settling on a dull dread, like he had just remembered something he wished he had forgotten.

_O_

_I_

_Y_

_Ca_

_I_

_Sor sorjf_

The letters emanating from the keyboard sounded so foreign. Bob was momentarily shaken out of his stupor as confusion overcame him, but he was quick to understand. Mort’s eyes had welled up with shameful tears, and he was struggling to see what he was typing. Bob heard a choked sound emanate from his own throat. He instinctively moved towards his friend but was stopped when the door swung open and the same nurse from before came in. It was only then that he heard the beeping.

“More troubled with the IV?” the young nurse asked conversationally as she entered, but one look at the situation had her leaping into action.

Bob was promptly escorted out of the room by another nurse that had come by. She encouraged him to sit in a chair in the hall as his legs were trembling and threatening to give out from underneath him. It took him a while to regain some of his composure, but when he did, he tried to explain what happened. She nodded sympathetically.

“Retrograde amnesia. It’s common in a lot of patients with this sort of trauma. He likely would’ve regained the memory eventually, but it may have been best to have heard it from a good friend.”

Bob held his head in his hands. He didn’t think that what he did was a good thing as the shock of it caused Mort’s heartbeat to go berserk. But then, if he hadn’t have said anything, Mort would probably have felt betrayed, in a way. It was all so confusing to navigate.

Thankfully, Linda and the kids reappeared from around the corner, snacks from the vending machine in hand. They were all smiling until they saw Bob hunched over and shivering.

“What happened?”

Even after explaining everything to her (well, a lighter version of it since the kids were there) and she reassured him that he had done nothing wrong, he still felt like shit. They drove him, Lin driving even though she had a hard time doing so in the snow. Bob was still too shaken up to do anything but stare blankly out one of the windows. Even the kids didn’t know how to diffuse the situation.

“I killed him, Lin,” Bob said finally as they turned onto their street.

“You and me both, Dad.”

“No way!” Lin raised her voice, taking the corner a little too sharp. Thankfully, the car didn’t skid on the ice. “No one killed Mort; he’s okay and he’s going to get better and nothing either of you did today is going to change that, okay? Now, who wants a hug from Mommy? Come on, group hug!”

She put her right arm out invitingly, causing Bob to laugh even with the sour mood he was in. “I… I mean, okay.”

Bob leaned into the hug, and Gene did too from his spot in the middle of the backseat. “Come on, Tina, Louise. You know you want in on this.”

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea…” Louise trailed off when Tina awkwardly maneuvered to wrap her arms around whoever she could grab in the awkward family car group hug. Sighing, Louise joined too, all five of them squished together as they veered down the street.

“I love my family!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter uploads will be slowing down now that school's in full swing. as always, let me know what you think so far!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! More chapters coming soon. In the meantime, please let me know if you enjoyed it! :)


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